Past Tension
by Kelonzi
Summary: Everyone knows the street-smart Charles Gunn... but what you might not know is where it all began. This fic is what I think Gunn's early life was like. Feel free to write a review! If I get some good feedback on this, look for a continuing series of Gunn


* * * * * INTRODUCTION * * * * *  
  
The Plummer Street shelter wasn't anything special: a few boarding rooms barren of  
furnishings save for rickety, wooden beds, and one main room in the center of the house  
that served as the kitchen, living room, and guest bedroom all rolled into one. Because of  
the limited space, each child had to share a room with no less than five others.   
  
Charles lived in the room at the far end of the hall which had the letter C carved into the  
weather-beaten door frame. He had traced his fingers over that mark over a million times  
during his twelve years on God's green earth, and removed countless splinters from those  
fingers due to that habit. His "roommates" were a young Spanish boy with jet black hair  
who called himself Chain, a black kid around Charles' age named Bobby, and Michael,  
Bobby's twin brother. The last of Charles' roomies deserves special mention. Bullseye was  
a fair-complexioned red head who got his name from the circular section of red hair at the  
very top of his head, with the sides cut short and dyed black.   
  
Charles considered Bullseye his closest friend among the group, save for his little sister  
Alonna who slept in a small room down the hall with the girls of the home. The two boys  
would often sneak out at any and all hours of the night just for the sake of changing the  
scenery around them. These frequent trips out in the night were something of an innocent  
phase in Charles' life.... a phase he would often wish he could go back to many subsequent  
times throughout his life. It was a time when he could look up at the night sky and take in  
the stars without worrying about what lurked in the shadows around him.  
  
Back then he could have never imagined how quickly one's life could change. How an  
innocent young boy named Charles would be forced into the life of a rough and rugged  
street fighter who went by merely last name--- Gunn.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 1 * * * * *  
  
"'Ey, Gunn! Up an' at 'em!" Bullseye shook his young friend into consciousness. "Unless  
you're wantin' to wash the windows in this dump, we should split!"  
  
Charles Gunn slowly roused himself from a deep sleep. He had always had a suspicion that  
Bullseye couldn't read the clock, and this just proved his point. "This early? You're crazy  
dog." With that he proceeded to burrow even deeper into the gray wool blanket covering  
his bed.  
  
"S'almost noon, ya ol' slacker!" Bullseye said, as if sensing what Gunn was thinking.  
  
The only response out of Gunn was a loud, fake snore.  
  
But Bullseye wasn't one to give up easily. In one swift yank, Gunn found himself sprawled  
on the floor in a maze of sheets and blankets. Finally coming up for air, he threw his best  
bud a dirty look. "If anyone's gettin' nailed for sleepin' late, it'll be you!" Gunn wrapped his  
arms around Bullseye's legs and tossed him onto the mattress in one swift motion. When  
he saw Bullseye attempting to get up again, Gunn lept on him with the ferocity of a tiger  
cub playing with it's favorite toy.  
  
"Lemme up!" Bullseye managed to squalk out before dissolving into giggles.  
  
"Holler Uncle an' I'll THINK about it." Gunn teased.  
  
"Uncle." A voice chimed in dryly from the doorway. Both boys whirled to find themselves  
face to face with the "caretaker" of their home, Ms. Shelia Browning. Gunn quickly lept  
off the mattress and started gathering the sheets scattered about on the floor while  
Bullseye got up and straightened out the mattress. Ms. Browning LOOKED nice enough,  
but anyone that was aquatinted with her knew she was a strict, no-nonsense woman with a  
hard, penetrating gaze that would make even the Cardiff Giant tremble. It wasn't that she  
didn't take good care of the children in her care, she just never allowed herself to become  
good friends with any of them.  
  
Gunn handed her an armful of laundry and stepped back quickly. Avoiding direct eye  
contact when you got yourself in big trouble was another thing you learned when you  
spent your whole life in the Plummer Street shelter. "Sorry." he mumbled.  
  
She closed her eyes and counted to ten under her breath. "So this is how you repay me for  
taking you in all these years. You waltz in at any and all hours, and when you ARE in the  
house you're creating such a disturbance that I almost wish you'd leave again."  
  
Both boys shifted their weight almost simultaneously. They knew they were in for it this  
time and the best either of them could do was to await their fate at her work-worn hands.  
"I'll go find the glass cleaner for window washin'." Bullseye sighed and started for the  
door.  
  
"Oh no you don't." Ms. Browning bit off her words as she said them. "You've been given  
that punishment before and you didn't learn a thing from it." The elderly lady's face  
suddenly took on a thoughtful look. "Fortunately, there's always something to be done in  
this house." she marched out into the hallway and reappeared a moment later toting a  
large laundry basket with her. "And today that something is the laundry." She handed the  
basket off to Gunn and walked out. "The Laundromat opens at nine." she hollered almost  
as an afterthought. "Make sure you don't head out too late. One can never be sure what  
kind of things come out after dark." The door slammed to punctuate her sentence.  
  
Gunn stared at the basket in disbelief. The laundry? Now this was something new.  
  
"Come on." Bullseye sighed after a moment. "Might as well get it over with right now."  
  
Gunn trailed his friend to the door, dragging the basket after him. "Bulls?" Gunn called to  
his best buddy by his shorter nickname. "What did she mean 'bout things comin' out after  
dark?"  
  
"Darned if I know." Bullseye shrugged and walked out into the hallway.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 2 * * * * *  
  
Alonna and the other girls of room E had been up for hours already doing the dishes and  
helping Ms. Browning with the house cleaning. It was their "honor" for the day. Any kid  
in their right mind would know this was no task of honor, in fact, it was more of a  
punishment then anything else. Everyone else was already long gone for the day, which  
was why she was so stunned when she looked up to see her brother dragging a laundry  
basket down the stairs.  
  
"You suddenly take a shine to the life of a housewife, boy?" Alonna teased as she  
approached the staircase with a dishtowel draped over her shoulder.  
  
"And when did you become a comic?" He shot back.  
  
Alonna threw up her hands in surrender and decided to change the topic. "Chain left a  
message for you. Said he'd hook up with you later, whatever that means."  
  
Nodding, Gunn resumed his trek for the door. After finally lugging the load across the  
floor, he looked up the stairs in annoyance. "YO BULLSEYE!! Comin'?"  
  
In response to Gunn's bellows, Bullseye came sliding down the banister. "Ready an'  
waitin'."  
  
At the site of the smooth-talking red head, Alonna blushed and began fussing with her  
hair. "Hi." She managed to mumble. All the girls in the home at one point or another had a  
crush on her brother's best friend. Some were more foreword than others, and she was the  
last one to throw herself at his feet. Not because she was too proud, mind you. She  
was just way too shy for that sort of thing. Mostly what she would find herself doing was  
mumbling out a few syllables and then having to retreat into another room for the  
remainder of the week.  
  
"Hey cutie." Bullseye drawled.  
  
That was it for Alonna. Time to retreat into the other room again. With a blush and  
hesitant glance up at Bullseye's face, Alonna took off for the kitchen.  
  
"Wow. She's certainly quick on her feet." Bullseye smiled at Gunn. "Seems like she got the  
good looks in the family."  
  
"Ya want me to hit you?" Gunn brandished the laundry as if it were a bag full of lead and  
not dirty T-shirts.   
  
Bullseye laughed and rushed out the door.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 3 * * * * *  
  
Both boys had hooked up with Chain and the rest of the gang around third street and  
spent several hours playing basketball and eyeing the High School girls, debating which  
one would be the best kisser. Chain, ever eager to make a fool of himself, it seemed, had  
actually approached them and asked for a phone number or two. They had seen him as   
barely more than a cute little boy and had dismissed him with a flick of their  
well-manicured nails and a toss of their hair.  
  
"Re-jected!!" Bobby laughed at Chain as the boy trudged back to the group.  
  
"Ya'll help me welcome back the conquerin' hero!" Gunn chimed in.  
  
"Alright. Laugh it up the lot of ya!" Chain grumbled. "Little boy my---"  
  
"Now, now, now!" Bullseye cut in, mimicking Ms. Browning's high pitched voice. He  
grabbed one of her shawls from the laundry basket and wrapped it around his head. "I will  
not STAND for such NAUGHTY words in my presence!"  
  
The other boys rolled their eyes and Gunn tossed an empty Coke bottle at Bulls' head.  
  
"What? Ya didn't like my performance?" Bullseye ducked the bottle and mimed tossing his  
hair as he had seen the High School girls doing a few moments before. A few more odds  
and ends were thrown in his direction in response.  
  
"'Like' ain't the word." Michael said, punctuating his sentence by stomping a tin can into a  
flat aluminum disk and kicking it across the gray pavement of twilight.  
  
The five adolescents chatted merrily until the sun had sunk well beneath the horizon and  
the stars were peppering the sky with tiny diamonds of light. The boys' conversation had  
since lapsed and all were simply taking in their inner-city surroundings. Or, had been at  
least until Gunn suddenly realized that his chair also just happened to be the laundry   
basket he had said he would drop off hours before.  
  
Cursing most of the way to the Laundromat, both Gunn and Bullseye made it just in time  
to see the doors close in their faces. "Ain't that wonderful?" Gunn kicked the door. "We're  
gonna get it now for sure." Both knew what happened to the kids who didn't get their  
chores done properly, or at all-- beatings from the landlord, who was also known as Ms.   
Browning's husband. While she claimed she didn't like how he treated the children, Gunn  
had never seen her try to do anything to stop him, which made her just as guilty as Mr.  
Browning in his eyes.  
  
"Something wrong?" A voice croaked from the shadows. Both boys jumped a mile as a  
figure seemed to detach from the shadows and slide forward on the late night breezes. It  
sported a hooded sweatshirt pulled low over it's face and an old worn-out pair of jeans.  
Rounding out this fabulous ensemble was an ancient pair of tennis shoes that looked as if  
they had been through a World War or two.  
  
Unfazed by the new arrival, Bullseye confidently nodded. "Just that we're gonna get a  
good beatin' for not gettin' the chores done. Wha' d'you care?"  
  
The figure, which one could assume with little doubt was male after only listening to it's  
voice once, dug into it's pocket and procured a lock pick which was, an instant later,  
expertly inserted into the keyhole. One twist of the gold plated knob and the "Closed for  
the Night" sign was a useless piece of plastic. "You boys had some business you wished to  
attend to?"  
  
Bullseye stared suspiciously at the man and retreated ever so slightly. Something about  
this man made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he wished he could  
figure out just why. Gunn, on the other hand, was just relieved to see that he could quickly  
do his chores and get back to the home and not have to face Mr. Browning.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks." Gunn picked up the basket and made his way inside the store. "Comin'  
Bulls?"  
  
"Just a sec," He called back over his shoulder. "I wanna finish up a little bit of business  
with our friend 'ere." Gunn nodded and headed inside.  
  
Bullseye looked the stranger in the eyes--- or where they would be if not for the shadow  
his sweatshirt hood was throwing over most of his face. "Yo, thanks man. This means a  
lot to us."  
  
"The pleasure is all mine....." The voice trailed off as the figure grew closer. Bullseye  
readjusted the black bandanna on his head, trying not to betray his true emotions.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 4 * * * * *  
  
"Ya'll ready to go?" Gunn called out to the street as he walked outside once again and  
closed the door behind him. He noticed immediately that it had grown pretty darn quiet  
out in front of the Laundromat. Almost too quiet for Gunn's liking. When you'd been  
jumped as many times as he'd been jumped, you developed a sort of sixth sense for when  
something seemed odd or out of place. "Bulls? C'mon man! I wasn't gone THAT long."  
Gunn swept his eyes around and quickly realized his friend was nowhere to be found.  
"Hey buddy," He yelled out, hoping that the man who had saved his butt was still out and  
about. "Looks like that friend of mine ditched me. You didn't happen to see where he  
went, didja?"   
  
The only response to Gunn's question was a leaf quickly skittering across the pavement.  
  
"Guess that'd be a no." He sighed and started trudging back home. The walk back seemed  
twice as long as it had been that afternoon. It was understandable though, since he'd had  
someone to talk to before. Now his only companion was the soundtrack of the night-- the  
honking of a faraway horn, the bark of a dog that had been disturbed from it's nightly rest,  
and closer than any of the previous mentioned noises, someone had a radio tuned to the  
oldies station. Not that he ever listened to the stuff himself, but he had heard it on more  
than one occasion coming from the caretaker's room. The noise would carry up through  
the heating vent next to his bed and Gunn had little choice but to overhear. He imagined  
he'd heard more Dinah Shore and The Ink Spots than anyone his age. It wasn't really the  
kind of thing that you bragged about to your gang either, unless you had a burning desire  
to have people stare at you like you had three heads.  
  
"Till the end of time,  
Long as stars are in the blue  
Long as there's a spring, a bird to sing....  
I'll go on loving you."  
  
Ah, the old sappy love songs were enough to make a guy believe in never ending,  
unconditional love. They didn't write songs like that anymore--- REALLY. People  
preferred to listen to the break up songs and the opposite sex loathing ones.   
  
Before he knew it, Gunn was back at the doorstep of the Plummer Street home. They let  
him in with little comment and he was back in his room in no time. To his surprise, Bulls  
wasn't waiting for him there as Gunn had assumed he would be.  
  
"Oh well. Bulls is a big boy, as Mrs. Brownin' says. 'E can take care of himself." Gunn said  
to the empty room. The other guys would be coming in at any minute, so it wasn't like he  
would be lacking for companionship. With a sigh, Gunn walked over to the window and  
yanked it open with a rusty screech from the hinges, letting in the cool night air.  
  
The other guys came in after awhile and the four of them sat on the floor playing cards  
late into the night. No one knew exactly HOW late though until Mr. Browning rapped on  
their door and announced that it was lights out time, otherwise known as eleven o'clock.  
Gunn quickly realized Bulls still hadn't come back yet. Letting the guys know that he  
would be right back, Gunn slid out into the hallway and down the stairs into the main  
room where Mr. Browning was still up and watching late night re-runs of "The Andy  
Griffith Show".  
  
"Yeah, kid? Whaddya want?" He almost seemed to growl.  
  
"Mista Brownin'," Gunn began as confidently as he could.  
  
"Mist-ER." He corrected harshly. "You'd think you kids would learn how to speak English  
properly."  
  
"Mis-TER Brownin'," Gunn said in a tone that was dangerously close to sarcasm. "I was  
wonderin' if you'd heard from Bullseye t'night."  
  
"What? That layabout didn't come back with you?" He replied, eyes never wandering from  
the eight inch screen.  
  
"No sir. 'E was gone when I came back from doin' the laundry." Gunn replied anxiously.  
"Ya don't think nuthin' woulda happened to him, do ya?"  
  
"How should I know? He's your friend!" He let his eyes wander from the screen long  
enough to bellow, "Now go away! You're bothering me!"  
  
Gunn felt the sting of his words, and yet he should have expected as much. Mr. Browning  
really didn't care about the kids and everyone knew it. He only put on a good face for his  
wife and the media. Anger growing inside himself that Mr. Browning could think so little  
of a human life, Gunn was ready to spit on the slightly overweight man's feet when the   
phone rang.  
  
"Do ya know what time of night this is?" Mr. Browning answered the phone with, instead  
of the standard hello. "Oh! Hello sir!" Gunn grinned a little. It was always nice to see the  
old man get his foot firmly wedged in his mouth from time to time. He would have almost  
laughed if the next words out of the old man's mouth hadn't brought him crashing back  
down to the Earth. "Yessir." The old man's face had grown quite grave. "We'll come down  
and ID the body right away."  
  
Body? What body? Gunn's mind was racing with a thousand questions as the old phone  
was replaced in it's cradle with a dull thud. This wasn't good. Not at all.  
  
"Charles," Mr. Browning turned to Gunn gravely. "Get out of those pajamas and get on  
some warm clothes. You have to come with me somewhere."  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 5 * * * * *  
  
The undertaker moved slowly from coffin to coffin taking his time at each body to stop  
and study every minuscule detail of the deceased. A new one had just been brought in  
overnight and the elderly gentleman was making sure that this one was treated with as  
much care as the others who passed through the doors of the "White Funeral Home". It  
was a boy. Looked to be about 13 and a kid from one of the many homes around the city.  
If he was to guess, it was probably more than likely that this one had died in some gang  
fight for "turf".  
  
Working in this business for as long as he had, the undertaker had developed a kind of  
morbid curiosity about death. How did it happen? What were the characteristic marks of  
different types of deaths? By this point in his undertaking career, his mind was practically  
an index of corpses. Knife wounds came in all shapes and sizes, from slash marks to a   
deep gouge mark. A victim of strangulation would have a red mark or two upon his neck,  
hand shaped or something resembling a rope burn.   
  
It was this very curiosity that brought the man to open up the casket and take a look  
inside. The body was fairly well preserved, to the undertaker's relief. fRigamortice was  
part of the job, but it was never a pleasant thing to witness. Confusion set in as the man's  
eyes mapped out every square inch of the dead body. No obvious gouges or slashes, no   
strangulation marks, no burns either. Almost disappointed, the man was about to give up  
when something caught his eye. The far side of the neck was just out of view and  
something about that was slightly disquieting. Slipping on a pair of surgeon's gloves, he  
gently turned the neck so that the far side came into view.  
  
An audible gasp escaped his lips. He had seen this type of injury before. Two puncture  
wounds barely two inches apart glared up at him. This was the type of wound that was  
generally filed under the 'unknown' heading at the hospital. Maybe it was unknown to the  
medical professionals, but the undertaker was quite well aquainted with vampire bites. A  
mild curse slipped past his lips as he rushed to cover the corpse back up. It was time to get  
out of there quickly before this fellow woke up, ugly misshapen face and ivory white fangs  
all set for his first meal.   
  
After covering the body again, the undertaker retreated to the far wall where a cross hung.  
He was about to lift it off the wall hook when an icy cold hand seized him by the back of  
the neck and hoisted him skyward, away from the cross and any prayer of protection from  
this monstrosity.  
  
"Ya don't wanna be doin' that, man." The voice hissed in the undertaker's ear.  
  
Trembling ever so slightly, the old man managed to croak out, "I... I know what you are."  
  
"Wow. Color me s'prised." It said with a chuckle, tightening it's choke hold. "An' what  
exactly d'ya intend ta do now that ya've made that startlin' revalation?"  
  
Breathing sporadically thanks to the boy's hold upon his neck, the old man couldn't or  
wouldn't respond.  
  
"Aw, c'mon!" It sounded bored. "Doncha at least wanna gimme a hint?" He twisted the  
man's neck with a crisp snapping sound and the body crumpled to the floor. "Shoot. Guess  
ya must be one of those guys that keeps 'is secrets real well."  
  
Grabbing up a black bandanna from the coffin, the newly risen vampire tied it snugly about  
his head, covering most of the sphere of red hair on the top of his head so that only the jet  
black hair shaved close to the sides of his head peaked out.  
  
Glancing down at the lifeless body of the old man once more, the vampire laughed.  
"Sorry. Can't stay. Gotta go see an old friend."  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 6 * * * * *  
  
Gunn sat alone on Bullseye's top bunk. The funeral had been that afternoon and disbelief  
still hung in the air like a thick fog, choking off any joy that tried to permeate the room.  
Bulls was really gone. His best friend since he was five years old was dead. With all the  
times he had repeated this to himself, it still refused to sink in. Less than two days ago he  
was hanging out with the whole gang, tossing around jokes and laughing at his best  
friend's slightly off-the-wall sense of humor, and today he had buried that best friend up  
the road in the Plummer Street Cemetery.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought suddenly. He hesitantly walked over.  
Didn't everyone know he wanted to be left alone? He turned the handle slowly and  
glanced out into the hallway to find no one was there. "Hello?"  
  
Gunn nearly jumped out of his skin when a small hand tapped him on the hip. "Down  
here!"   
  
"ALONNA!" He yelped a little too loudly. "Don't scare me like that, girl!"  
  
"I didn't mean to," she quickly turned to leave.   
  
Gunn took her by the arm and guided her into the room. "No. It's all right. Guess I could  
use some company anyhow. Plus, I'm never too busy for my little sister."  
  
"I ain't little!" Alonna protested gently but quickly realized her brother wasn't in the joking  
mood. "You're really hurtin'. I get that. Figured you could use someone to talk to." She  
waited for him to continue, and when he didn't speak she quickly grew silent as well. They  
both sat, staring at the floor for a few minutes, until Alonna grew bored and started  
twirling her hair, immediately eliciting a response out of Gunn.  
  
"Ya gotta do that? Bothers the heck outta me."  
  
"I know." she grinned playfully. "That's why I do it."  
  
Gunn instantly pulled Alonna into a big hug, tears in his eyes. "God, you bug me, you  
know."   
  
"Everythin' bugs you." She said, her voice muffled by his chest.  
  
"You bug me the most!" He said in a shaky voice that quickly grew very serious. "But I'm  
never gonna leave you alone like I did with Bulls, you hear me?"  
  
"Gunn, what happened to Bullseye wasn't your fault." she replied gently.   
  
"No, Lonna." He stared into her eyes for a long moment. "I should have known better  
then to trust that street bum. But I was too interested in savin' myself a whippin' to trust  
my instincts that somethin' was off about him."  
  
"You don't know that he was the one who killed Bulls."  
  
"He was the last one seen with him! Figure it out! He was waitin' for us to walk into his  
little trap, an' we did."  
  
Alonna looked like she was ready to protest a little more, but something inside her knew  
her brother had made a good point. "Has anyone found this homeless guy yet?"  
  
"I don't know." Gunn's face was turned to the floor.  
  
"Well, then WE should!" she took him by the arm as he had done to her a few minutes  
before. Unfortunately, since she was much younger, she wasn't able to just march him out  
of the room as he had been able to pull her in. "We'll ask him a few questions about that  
night and what happened." She stood on her tiptoes so that she could look him right in the  
eye. "Unless you wanna sit here and do the whole "oh, woe is me" routine, of course."  
  
Gunn shrugged and sat farther back on the mattress.  
  
"Guess I forgot to mention how you don't really have a choice, bro." she motioned out to  
the hallway and Bobby walked in, followed by Michael. "Now, you gonna walk or have  
these guys carry you out?"  
  
With a sigh of submission, Gunn got up and followed his friends out to the street.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 7 * * * * *  
  
It didn't take long for Gunn to lead everyone back to the Laundromat. They hid in the  
back behind the dumpster until the manager appeared to close up shop for the night. After  
waiting to make sure everyone in the store had left for the night, Chain gave the signal and  
they all emerged from their hiding place.  
  
"So, what now?" Alonna said excitedly. This was her first time out with the older boys and  
she was anxious to prove to them that she was cool, and not just "Gunn's little sister".  
  
"Shhhh! Lonna!" Gunn hissed under his breath. She fell silent, blushing in embarrassment.  
"Now, all of ya look for anythin' that looks like it could have to do with that street guy. If  
you find him, bring him to me. I want to give that creep a piece of my mind."   
  
Alonna was impressed with how her brother could take charge of a such a difficult and  
painful situation and quickly paired off with Bobby's brother, Michael, to begin looking  
around. Gunn insisted on going solo, leaving Bobby and Chain as the other pair. While  
Alonna didn't like seeing her brother go off by himself, she knew it would be pointless to  
argue with him when he was this determined. Something had killed his best friend, and she  
knew Gunn wouldn't rest until he had vented some of that pent up rage.  
  
While Alonna and Michael searched around the store for clues, Gunn slipped into a side  
alleyway and began scanning the area for company. He had a feeling that he was being  
watched, but he wasn't certain if it was a genuine alarm bell sounding in his head or simply  
paranoia setting in over returning to the last place he had seen Bullseye alive.   
  
A night breeze scuttled down the street, stirring up the candy wrappers, old newspaper  
and oil-stained rags that littered the pavement. Shivering, Gunn dug his hands deeper into  
his pockets.   
  
"Pretty cold night." Someone said directly behind Gunn. Whirling to face his adversary,  
Gunn practically cried out in joy as he realized who it was. "BULLS? But you're dead!  
They said you were dead!" He hugged his best friend around the waist. "I'm so glad to see  
you!"  
  
Bullseye gave Gunn a tight-lipped smile. "Nice to see you too, pal."  
  
"What happened? I've seen you get out of a lotta scrapes, but ya never defied death  
before!" Gunn quickly asked one of the millions of questions that was whirling around in  
his head.  
  
"Well, I didn't exactly defy death." Bullseye said mysteriously. "More like I survived it."  
Confused, Gunn was about to ask another question when Bulls cut him off. "Shhh! Let me  
finish. I survived it, and now I'm stronger and better than ever. There's no pain, no guilt.  
Only the hunt and the kill." As he spoke, Bulls' forehead seemed to thicken and wrinkle  
until it was protruding out from his face, his front incisors elongating until they hung down  
past his lower lip. The transformation itself was enough to make Gunn's stomach turn, but  
as Bulls spoke of the kill, his eyes took on a yellow glow, feral and penetrating, which  
scared the young boy more than anything he had ever seen in his life.  
  
Hiding the tremble in his voice, Gunn demanded, "What are you?"  
  
"Your best friend. Ruggedly handsome, terribly dashin'.... and a vampire."  
  
"Vam-- Vampire?" Gunn's mind was instantly filled with images of Count Dracula and  
bats. "You're kidding right? That's a story made up to scare little kids on Halloween!"   
  
"I'm afraid you're wrong," Bullseye replied. "We're real. Ty here helped me separate fact  
from fiction." Bullseye pointed to the figure in a sweatshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes that  
Gunn remembered from before, lounging against the wall. "He's my sire."  
  
"Sire?" Gunn was still reeling from all the information he was receiving, and growing more  
terrified by the minute. As he tried to process everything, Alonna rounded the corner and  
stopped short at the sight she saw before her.   
  
"Why look," the man in the sweatshirt who Gunn now knew was named Ty grinned.  
"You've brought a friend to dinner." As he spoke, this man's face also morphed into  
something hideously primitive and feral. "Or should I say, FOR dinner."  
  
"What's goin' on here?" Alonna asked in fear. "Gunn, what's happened?"  
  
Quickly letting his face morph back to a human appearance, Bullseye turned to Alonna  
and opened his arms wide. "There's the prettiest girl in the Plummer Street shelter!"  
  
Alonna's eyes went wide, but not in fear, more in surprise. "They told us you were dead!"  
She rushed into his arms.  
  
"Lonna! NO!" Gunn bellowed to her. It was too late though, for Bullseye had already  
tightened those open arms around her neck and was attempting to choke off her air.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 8 * * * * *  
  
"Let her go!!" Gunn yelled, trying to sound as tough as he could while being scared silly  
inside.  
  
"Wow. You know, before I wasn't going to but now that you're playing the big scary  
guy--- I still won't bro." Bullseye snickered.  
  
"What happened to you?" Gunn took a different approach. "We used to be pals! You had  
my back, man!" Suddenly, Gunn felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he found himself face  
to face with the vamp who had called himself Ty. But hadn't he just been standing over---  
  
"Actually... I'VE got your back." Ty gave him a fang-filled grin and punched Gunn hard,  
sending him flying across the room.  
  
Gunn tried to regain his feet, but it was nearly impossible. He staggered under the weight  
of his head which suddenly felt like it had gained about 40 pounds. Probably had a  
concussion. Now Gunn knew that, not only were vampires butt-ugly, but super fast as  
well. Ty had been standing beside Bullseye one minute and the next knocking Gunn across  
the base of his skull. There was just one more thing he needed to know. How did you go  
about KILLING a vampire?  
  
"Aw, poor baby got a boo-boo." The sweatshirt-clad vampire snarled and turned back to  
Bullseye. "See? This is how it's done, boy! The hunt, the kill. The feel of their warm,  
tender flesh tearing in your mouth.. the blood spilling over your chin... it's pure poetry."  
  
Alonna thought she was going to be sick. "You're disgusting." She croaked, throat raw  
from the tight grip Bullseye held on it.  
  
Ty chuckled and walked up to her. Glaring down menacingly, he struck her across the  
face. "I don't remember askin' for your opinion, little girl."  
  
Alonna whimpered in pain, her lip bleeding badly. "Gunn! C'mon! Ya gotta get up!"  
  
Shaking his head to clear his vision, Gunn searched the alleyway frantically for anything he  
could use as a weapon. The only thing he could find, however, was an old wooden chair  
with the seat broken out of it. Not the best means of defense, but definitely better than  
nothing. Hefting the chair onto his shoulder he once again felt the ground buck beneath  
him. He was about to topple back over and let unconsciousness claim him once again  
when he heard the choking cries of his sister. Lonna needed his help. Giving up now  
would certainly spell her death. If anything happened to her because of him he could never  
forgive himself.  
  
Ty was staring at Bullseye expectantly. It was as if he expected his child to offer him a  
taste of the young girl. Bullseye glared and prepared to bite down on Alonna, and he  
wasn't about to share.  
  
"GUNN!" Alonna wailed through choked sobs.  
  
"Yo, ugly!" Gunn drew himself up to his full height, hefting the chair as one would  
prepare to toss a javelin.  
  
"'Ey, can't ya see I'm in the middle of a MEAL here, pal? Check back later when I'm  
done." Bullseye glanced up at the young boy in disgust. "Can't get a decent meal around  
here these days without someone tryin' to WRECK it." He muttered and opened his  
enormous, fang-lined mouth, anticipating the succulent flavor of Alonna's supple neck.  
That's when the incredible force of a chair breaking across the small of his back caught  
Bullseye off guard and sent him reeling to the ground.  
  
The minute the vampire's grip loosened, Alonna dug in her heels and broke free of his  
grasp, narrowly avoiding going down with him. She scampered over to a dumpster and  
took refuge just as the rest of the gang arrived and took in the scene. They had run into  
some thugs with pretty damn ugly faces and had been tied up when they heard the scuffle  
going on around the corner from them. Now that they were there, they had no idea what  
to think. Alonna was crouched low in one corner with Gunn standing a few feet away  
facing off against a guy who looked like Bullseye. But that wasn't possible since Bullseye  
was dead... right?  
  
"Stay back!" Gunn barked orders to the other boys. Stupefied, they stood still as ordered.  
"This is my fight. It's between me and this thing."  
  
"Aw, hell." The thing that had been Bullseye chuckled at his own joke. "You hurt my  
feelings. I feel more alive now than I ever was before. Lemme show you." He moved in  
fast, taking Gunn off guard. The vampire was on top of Gunn in the blink of an eye and  
bearing down on the boy's exposed neck. "Anythin' ya dyin' ta tell me?" It laughed  
maniacally.  
  
"Yeah... your jokes SUCK." Gunn threw his head back violently, striking the vampire  
square in the face. Whirling, Gunn grabbed a splintered piece of wood off of the ground.  
He clutched it to his chest protectively as if it was going to be of any use when the  
bloodsucker charged again and drained him dry.  
  
Bullseye got to his feet and charged once again, this time knocking Gunn over with him.  
He paused for a moment, savoring the smell of fear in the air. Gunn was pinned and  
sweating heavily.   
  
So this is how I'm gonna die. Gunn fought hard to look calm and collected on the  
outside. Inside however, he was trembling with every fiber of his being. He felt the razor  
sharp fangs brush his cheek and prepared himself for the end.  
  
Alonna jumped from her shelter near the dumpster and latched onto the vampire's  
backside. Hanging on for dear life despite the bucking of the creature under her, Alonna  
tried her hardest to pry the undead body off of her big brother. She was too little to yank  
him off, but managed to throw the vampire off balance long enough for Gunn to shift  
position just enough to put the splintered length of wood between him and certain death.  
  
The events of the next few moments occurred so quickly that both sister and brother were  
uncertain whether or not they had happened at all. One second Alonna was on top of  
Bullseye, Gunn below, creating a virtual vamp sandwich, and the next, they were on top of  
one another with no sign of the vampire that had been Bullseye.  
  
"Shit." Ty grumbled and after a moment, simply shrugged. "Ah well. I'll see you around.  
Promise." The vampire turned to leave.  
  
"No you don't!" Gunn jumped to his feet, brushing a film of dust from his clothing, briefly  
wondering how exactly it had gotten there in the first place. "You ain't gonna do that to  
anymore of my friends." Michael, Bobby and Chain stepped in, blocking the vampire's  
escape route.  
  
Instead of being afraid however, the vampire seemed genuinely amused by the situation.  
"You really have no idea what you're dealin' with here, do ya?" Ty snagged Chain by the  
neck and hoisted him skyward. "I coulda killed all of ya without breakin' a sweat, but ya  
wanna know why I didn't? Because it's more fun this way. It's more fun to torment you,  
boy. Takin' your friends away one by one until there's only you left. You'll wake up one  
mornin' and you'll find everyone around you is gone. It'll be you and me, Charles Gunn.  
You and me." With that, Ty tossed Chain aside, into the line of Gunn's friends, knocking  
them all over like so many bowling pins.  
  
  
* * * * * CHAPTER 9 * * * * *  
  
By the time everyone had gotten back on their feet, Ty was long gone. The other four  
scrambled around looking for any trace of the fiend, but Gunn stood absolutely still. The  
vampire's warning had hit him hard. In any other situation, he would have treated these  
words as the bluff he hoped they were. However, he had seen what this vampire was  
capable of doing and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that this was no  
simple bluff. He had taken Gunn's childhood companion and turned him into a monster. If  
Ty was capable of that, one could only imagine what else the vampire could do.  
  
"Earth to Gunn. Come in big brother." Alonna pulled on his sleeve. Gunn jumped a little  
and put on the best smile he could muster.  
  
Oh, God. Lonna. How'm I supposed to protect her from this guy? His eyes  
betrayed his emotions, standing in stark contrast to the outward appearance of calm and  
joviality he was putting on. He wasn't going to let anyone or anything take her from him,  
and that was a promise.  
  
"Well, man, he's gone. Ain't comin' back, I don't think either." Bobby said as he rejoined  
the group. "Let's just go home an' pretend this never happened."  
  
"No. We're not." Gunn's jaw was set in a grim line.  
  
"Not what? Goin' home, or pretendin' this never happened?"  
  
"Both." Gunn walked over and kicked in the wood panel that covered a doorless entryway  
into an old abandoned building. "I can't go on pretendin' like this never happened, an'  
someone has to be out here to warn the others 'bout these vampires."  
  
"So we're movin' in?" Michael stuck his head in the gaping maw of the doorway.  
  
"You got it." Gunn pushed past Michael and into the old dilapidated structure. "Get used  
to this place, boys. It'll be home now.... for a long time." 


End file.
